In Luke 15:11-32 our
Lord Jesus, the wonderful story teller, told a story about a young man who felt
an overwhelming urge to leave his father’s house. It’s a familiar story, one
that could have happened in almost any family. This young man asked for his
portion of the family estate and left for a distant land. There he
squandered his money on wild living. Days passed, then weeks, then
months. At last the day came when the young man had spent all his money. Broke
and destitute, he found himself in a desperate place, far from family and
friends. Although he was ashamed to do so, he hired on with a farmer who put
him to work slopping the hogs. He was so hungry that he found himself ready to
eat with the pigs.
As he was engaged in that base job, the light finally turned on in his brain. He suddenly saw himself and he saw what he had become. Most of all, he saw that it was his own stupidity that had gotten him in such a mess. No longer would he blame his father or criticize his older brother. No longer would he pretend to be something he wasn’t. In that moment of self-revelation, he saw what he had become and he knew that there was only one way back.
The strange irony of his situation must have hit him like a ton of bricks. His father’s servants were eating their fill back at home, while he, the master’s son, was living with the pigs. Then he decided, “I’m going to get up and go back home. When I get there, I’m going to say, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’”
With that realization the young man got up, brushed himself off, gathered his things and began making the long and arduous journey back home. He was still a long way off when his father spotted him trudging up the dusty road. Before the young man knew what was happening, his father ran to him, threw his arms around him, kissed him and said, “Welcome home, son.” The son said the words he had planned and memorized while he was among the pigs, “Father, I have sinned against you and against heaven. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
It is
vital for us to understand that the young man repented. He came to himself. He recognized
his sin and confessed it to his father. He began to repent while he was still living with the pigs, still far
away from home, broke and hungry. His confession of his sins turned his life around. He came to himself. it is in the providence of God
that we learn more in the darkness than we do in the light.
We gain more
from sickness than we do from health. We pray more when we are scared than when
we are confident. Everything that happens to us - the tragedies, unexplained
circumstances, and even our stupid choices are grist for the mill of God’s
loving purpose. He will not give up even when we give up on
ourselves.
It is a story is for everyone who is tired of eating with the pigs. If we are ready to go home, we get the good news that our Father is standing in the road waiting for us. His arms are open wide. He knows where we have been, and he is still waiting for us. The only thing that matters is for us to come home. That’s what the grace of God is all about. We can start over. We can be forgiven. The slate can be wiped clean. We don’t have to live the rest of our lives in hiding. We don’t have to live in fear that someone will find us out. We don’t have to eat with the pigs forever. Thank you, Jesus!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/kNAV98bAqng
As he was engaged in that base job, the light finally turned on in his brain. He suddenly saw himself and he saw what he had become. Most of all, he saw that it was his own stupidity that had gotten him in such a mess. No longer would he blame his father or criticize his older brother. No longer would he pretend to be something he wasn’t. In that moment of self-revelation, he saw what he had become and he knew that there was only one way back.
The strange irony of his situation must have hit him like a ton of bricks. His father’s servants were eating their fill back at home, while he, the master’s son, was living with the pigs. Then he decided, “I’m going to get up and go back home. When I get there, I’m going to say, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired hands.’”
With that realization the young man got up, brushed himself off, gathered his things and began making the long and arduous journey back home. He was still a long way off when his father spotted him trudging up the dusty road. Before the young man knew what was happening, his father ran to him, threw his arms around him, kissed him and said, “Welcome home, son.” The son said the words he had planned and memorized while he was among the pigs, “Father, I have sinned against you and against heaven. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
His father cut him off, and he would hear no more of it. The cry went out, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Find the fattened calf and kill it. Call the neighbors and spread the good news. Tell everyone you see. This son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.”
It is
vital for us to understand that the young man repented. He came to himself. He recognized
his sin and confessed it to his father. He began to repent while he was still living with the pigs, still far
away from home, broke and hungry. His confession of his sins turned his life around. He came to himself. it is in the providence of God
that we learn more in the darkness than we do in the light.
We gain more
from sickness than we do from health. We pray more when we are scared than when
we are confident. Everything that happens to us - the tragedies, unexplained
circumstances, and even our stupid choices are grist for the mill of God’s
loving purpose. He will not give up even when we give up on
ourselves.
The parable of the prodigal is a parable of your life and of mine. When we have sinned, we are so ashamed to find ourselves in the pig pen that we dare not tell anyone where we are, so we try to clean ourselves up and become presentable. Though we comb our hair, we still have pig slop under our fingernails. Everyone knows we’ve been with the pigs.
It is a story is for everyone who is tired of eating with the pigs. If we are ready to go home, we get the good news that our Father is standing in the road waiting for us. His arms are open wide. He knows where we have been, and he is still waiting for us. The only thing that matters is for us to come home. That’s what the grace of God is all about. We can start over. We can be forgiven. The slate can be wiped clean. We don’t have to live the rest of our lives in hiding. We don’t have to live in fear that someone will find us out. We don’t have to eat with the pigs forever. Thank you, Jesus!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/kNAV98bAqng
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